All Posts

In Episode 5 of Spirit Plate, Chef Pyet DeSpain visits the Yurok Tribe along California’s North Coast to harvest Pacific eel, learn traditional techniques, and celebrate river restoration through a joyful community feast.

In Episode 4 of Spirit Plate, Chef Pyet DeSpain travels to the Finger Lakes to cook alongside Onondaga elders, learn from seed keeper Angela Ferguson, and prepare a ten course feast honoring ancient Indigenous foodways and resilience.

In Episode 3 of Spirit Plate, Chef Pyet DeSpain journeys to Hydaburg, Alaska to fish Pacific halibut with the Haida people, cook in a traditional longhouse, and serve a meaningful feast honoring elders, culture, and ancestral foodways.

In this Beyond the Art Podcast highlight, Chef Pyet DeSpain reflects on her childhood memories in her family’s Kansas City taquerias, her mission to inspire cultural curiosity, and her belief in slowing down to reconnect with food as a powerful source of healing.

In this Culture Show Podcast interview, Chef Pyet DeSpain reflects on the food memories that shaped her, the community centered traditions of her Indigenous and Mexican heritage, and the inspiration behind her debut cookbook Rooted in Fire.

Chef Pyet DeSpain shares what it means to have her cookbook Rooted in Fire featured in the Los Angeles Times, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous food visibility and the traditions that shaped her work.

Chef Pyet Despain celebrated Native American Heritage Month with a Barnes and Noble social media takeover, where she spotlighted influential Indigenous cookbooks and shared the inspiration behind her debut cookbook Rooted In Fire.

Chef Pyet DeSpain joins WFLA’s Daytime to talk about her name, her Indigenous and Mexican heritage, and the story behind the Three Sisters recipe from Rooted in Fire.

Chef Pyet visited the CBS Los Angeles studio to talk about her cookbook Rooted in Fire, sharing stories from her Native American and Mexican heritage and showcasing the deep cultural connection between food, family, and land.

Rooted in Fire by Chef Pyet DeSpain has been honored as one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year (2025). The announcement aired on CBS Mornings and includes a five-story billboard in New York City, recognizing Pyet’s celebration of Indigenous Fusion Cuisine and storytelling through food.

I had such a wonderful time meeting with the team at Indian Country Today to talk about my new cookbook, Rooted in Fire . It was an honor to sit down with a Native-led news organization that has spent years uplifting our voices and sharing our stories with the world. We talked about what this book means to me, how it celebrates both my Native and Mexican roots and the journey that brought me here. I shared stories about the recipes that shaped me, from my family’s taquerias i

Chef Pyet DeSpain travels to Oʻahu to join Chef Kealoha Domingo in preparing a 400-pound pig in an underground imu oven and learning about the sacred taro root that sustains Hawaiian culture. Together, they share a feast that honors food, family, and gratitude.

Join Chef Pyet DeSpain in Costa Mesa on November 20th for an inspiring evening of conversation about Indigenous and Mexican cooking traditions.

November 30th Chef Pyet DeSpain celebrates her cookbook Rooted in Fire at Smorgasburg LA with a pop-up, meat pies, and community gathering.

Celebrate Rooted in Fire with Chef Pyet DeSpain on Nov 28th at Café Corazón in Kansas City. Enjoy a panel discussion, Q&A, DJ, and community celebration.

Join Chef Pyet DeSpain and Eric Hernandez December 3rd & 4th for two evenings of storytelling, dining, and community at Seven Acre Dairy Resort.

December 8th Chef Pyet DeSpain joins Karla Vasquez for a live author conversation at Casita Bookstore, a Latine-owned bookstore in Long Beach.

In the premiere episode of Spirit Plate on PBS Food, Chef Pyet DeSpain returns home to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to prepare a sacred bison stew feast, reflecting on love, community, and the strength of her roots.

November 20th Chef Pyet DeSpain discusses her new cookbook Rooted in Fire with Andi Murphy in this Smithsonian Associates virtual event, with exclusive discounts for attendees.